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Fourth Day
-
Novel III

[Voice:
lauretta
]

[
001
]
Three young men love three sisters, and flee with them to
Crete. The eldest of the sisters slays her lover for
jealousy. The second saves the life of the first by
yielding herself to the Duke of Crete. Her lover
slays her, and makes off with the first: the thira
sister and her lover are charged with the murder,
are arrested and confess the crime. They escape
death by bribing the guards, flee destitute to Rhodes,
and there in destitution die.

[Voice:
author
]

[
002
]
Pampinea's story ended, Filostrato mused a while, and then said
to her:
“
A little good matter there was that pleased me at the
close of your story, but, before 'twas reached, there was far too much
to laugh at, which I could have wished had not been there.
”
Then,
turning to Lauretta, he said:
“
Madam, give us something better
to follow, if so it may be.
”
[
003
]
Lauretta replied with a laugh:
“
Harsh
beyond measure are you to the lovers, to desire that their end be
always evil; but, as in duty bound, I will tell a story of three, who
all alike came to a bad end, having had little joyance of their loves;
”
and so saying, she began.

[Voice:
lauretta
]

[
004
]
Well may ye wot, young ladies, for 'tis abundantly manifest, that
there is no vice but most grievous disaster may ensue thereon to him
that practises it, and not seldom to others; and of all the vices that
which hurries us into peril with loosest rein is, methinks, anger;
which is nought but a rash and hasty impulse, prompted by a feeling
of pain, which banishes reason, shrouds the eyes of the mind in thick
darkness, and sets the soul ablaze with a fierce frenzy.
[
005
]
Which,
though it not seldom befall men, and one rather than another, has
nevertheless been observed to be fraught in women with more
disastrous consequences, inasmuch as in them the flame is both more
readily kindled, and burns more brightly, and with less impediment
to its vehemence. [
006
]
Wherein is no cause to marvel, for, if we consider
it, we shall see that 'tis of the nature of fire to lay hold more readily
of things light and delicate than of matters of firmer and more solid
substance; and sure it is that we (without offence to the men be it
spoken) are more delicate than they, and much more mobile.
[
007
]
Wherefore,
seeing how prone we are thereto by nature, and considering
also our gentleness and tenderness, how soothing and consolatory they
are to the men with whom we consort, and that thus this madness
of wrath is fraught with grievous annoy and peril; therefore, that
with stouter heart we may defend ourselves against it, I purpose by
my story to shew you, how the loves of three young men, and as
many ladies, as I said before, were by the anger of one of the ladies
changed from a happy to a most woeful complexion.

[Voice:
lauretta
]

[
008
]
Marseilles, as you know, is situate on the coast of Provence, a
city ancient and most famous, and in old time the seat of many more
rich men and great merchants than are to be seen there to-day,
among whom was one Narnald Cluada by name, a man of the lowest
origin, but a merchant of unsullied probity and integrity, and boundless
wealth in lands and goods and money, who had by his lady several
children, three of them being daughters, older, each of them, than
the other children, who were sons. [
009
]
Two of the daughters, who
were twins, were, when my story begins, fifteen years old, and the
third was but a year younger, so that in order to their marriage their
kinsfolk awaited nothing but the return of Narnald from Spain,
whither he was gone with his merchandise. One of the twins was
called Ninette, the other Madeleine; the third daughter's name was
Bertelle. [
010
]
A young man, Restagnon by name, who, though poor,
was of gentle blood, was in the last degree enamoured of Ninette,
and she of him; and so discreetly had they managed the affair,
that, never another soul in the world witting aught of it, they had
had joyance of their love, and that for a good while, when it so
befell that two young friends of theirs, the one Foulques, the other
Hugues by name, whom their fathers, recently dead, had left very
wealthy, fell in love, the one with Madeleine, the other with Bertelle.
[
011
]
Whereof Restagnon being apprised by Ninette bethought him that
in their love he might find a means to the relief of his necessities.
He accordingly consorted freely and familiarly with them, accompanying,
now one, now the other, and sometimes both of them, when
they went to visit their ladies and his; [
012
]
and when he judged that he
had made his footing as friendly and familiar as need was, he bade
them one day to his house, and said:
“
Comrades most dear, our
friendship, perchance, may not have left you without assurance of
the great love I bear you, and that for you I would do even as much
as for myself: wherefore, loving you thus much, I purpose to impart
to you that which is in my mind, that in regard thereof, you and I
together may then resolve in such sort as to you shall seem the best.
[
013
]
You, if I may trust your words, as also what I seem to have gathered
from your demeanour by day and by night, burn with an exceeding
great love for the two ladies whom you affect, as I for their sister.
For the assuagement whereof, I have good hope that, if you will
unite with me, I shall find means most sweet and delightsome; to
wit, on this wise. [
014
]
You possess, as I do not, great wealth: now if
you are willing to make of your wealth a common stock with me as
third partner therein, and to choose some part of the world where
we may live in careless ease upon our substance, without any manner
of doubt I trust so to prevail that the three sisters with great part of
their father's substance shall come to live with us, wherever we shall
see fit to go; whereby, each with his own lady, we shall live as
three brethren, the happiest men in the world. 'Tis now for you to
determine whether you will embrace this proffered solace, or let it
slip from you.
”
[
015
]
The two young men, whose love was beyond all
measure fervent, spared themselves the trouble of deliberation: 'twas
enough that they heard that they were to have their ladies: wherefore
they answered, that, so this should ensue, they were ready to do
as he proposed. Having thus their answer, Restagnon a few days
later was closeted with Ninette, to whom 'twas a matter of no small
difficulty for him to get access. Nor had he been long with her
before he adverted to what had passed between him and the young
men, and sought to commend the project to her for reasons not a
few.
[
016
]
Little need, however, had he to urge her: for to live their life
openly together was the very thing she desired, far more than he:
wherefore she frankly answered that she would have it so, that her
sisters would do, more especially in this matter, just as she wished,
and that he should lose no time in making all the needful arrangements.
So Restagnon returned to the two young men, who were
most urgent that it should be done even as he said, and told them
that on the part of the ladies the matter was concluded.
[
017
]
And so,
having fixed upon Crete for their destination, and sold some estates
that they had, giving out that they were minded to go a trading with
the proceeds, they converted all else that they possessed into money,
and bought a brigantine, which with all secrecy they handsomely
equipped, anxiously expecting the time of their departure, while
Ninette on her part, knowing well how her sisters were affected,
did so by sweet converse foment their desire that, till it should be
accomplished, they accounted their life as nought.
[
018
]
The night of
their embarcation being come, the three sisters opened a great chest
that belonged to their father, and took out therefrom a vast quantity
of money and jewels, with which they all three issued forth of the
house in dead silence, as they had been charged, and found their
three lovers awaiting them; who, having forthwith brought them
aboard the brigantine, bade the rowers give way, and, tarrying
nowhere, arrived the next evening at Genoa, where the new lovers
had for the first time joyance and solace of their love.

[Voice:
lauretta
]

[
019
]
Having taken what they needed of refreshment, they resumed
their course, touching at this port and that, and in less than eight
days, speeding without impediment, were come to Crete. There
they bought them domains both beautiful and broad, whereon, hard
by Candia they built them mansions most goodly and delightsome,
wherein they lived as barons, keeping a crowd of retainers, with
dogs, hawks and horses, and speeding the time with their ladies in
feasting and revelling and merrymaking, none so light-hearted as
they. [
020
]
Such being the tenor of their life, it so befell that (as 'tis
matter of daily experience that, however delightsome a thing may
be, superabundance thereof will breed disgust) Restagnon, much as
he had loved Ninette, being now able to have his joyance of her
without stint or restraint, began to weary of her, and by consequence
to abate somewhat of his love for her. [
021
]
And being mightily pleased
with a fair gentlewoman of the country, whom he met at a merry-making,
he set his whole heart upon her, and began to shew himself
marvellously courteous and gallant towards her; which Ninette
perceiving
grew so jealous that he might not go a step but she knew of
it, and resented it to his torment and her own with high words.
[
022
]
But
as, while superfluity engenders disgust, appetite is but whetted when
fruit is forbidden, so Ninette's wrath added fuel to the flame of
Restagnon's new love. And whichever was the event, whether in
course of time Restagnon had the lady's favour or had it not, Ninette,
whoever may have brought her the tidings, firmly believed that he
had it; whereby from the depths of distress she passed into a towering
passion, and thus was transported into such a frenzy of rage that
all the love she bore to Restagnon was converted into bitter hatred,
and, blinded by her wrath, she made up her mind to avenge by
Restagnon's death the dishonour which she deemed that he had done
her. [
023
]
So she had recourse to an old Greek woman, that was very
skilful in compounding poisons, whom by promises and gifts she
induced to distill a deadly water, which, keeping her own counsel,
she herself gave Restagnon to drink one evening, when he was
somewhat heated and quite off his guard: whereby--such was the
efficacy of the water--she despatched Restagnon before matins. On
learning his death Foulques and Hugues and their ladies, who knew
not that he had been poisoned, united their bitter with Ninette's
feigned lamentations, and gave him honourable sepulture. [
024
]
But so it
befell that, not many days after, the old woman, that had compounded
the poison for Ninette, was taken for another crime; and, being put
to the torture, confessed the compounding of the poison among other
of her misdeeds, and fully declared what had thereby come to pass.
Wherefore the Duke of Crete, breathing no word of his intent, came
privily by night, and set a guard around [
025
]
Foulques' palace, where
Ninette then was, and quietly, and quite unopposed, took and carried
her off; and without putting her to the torture, learned from her in
a trice all that he sought to know touching the death of Restagnon.
Foulques and Hugues had learned privily of the Duke, and their
ladies of them, for what cause Ninette was taken; and, being mightily
distressed thereby, bestirred themselves with all zeal to save Ninette
from the fire, to which they apprehended she would be condemned,
as having indeed richly deserved it; but all their endeavours seemed
to avail nothing, for the Duke was unwaveringly resolved that justice
should be done.
[
026
]
Madeleine, Foulques' fair wife, who had long been
courted by the Duke, but had never deigned to shew him the least
favour, thinking that by yielding herself to his will she might redeem
her sister from the fire, despatched a trusty envoy to him with the
intimation that she was entirely at his disposal upon the twofold
condition, that in the first place her sister should be restored to her
free and scatheless, and, in the second place, the affair should be kept
secret.
[
027
]
Albeit gratified by this overture, the Duke was long in doubt
whether he should accept it; in the end, however, he made up his
mind to do so, and signified his approval to the envoy. Then with
the lady's consent he put Foulques and Hugues under arrest for a
night, as if he were minded to examine them of the affair, and
meanwhile quartered himself privily with Madeleine.
[
028
]
Ninette, who,
he had made believe, had been set in a sack, and was to be sunk
in the sea that same night, he took with him, and presented her to
her sister in requital of the night's joyance, which, as he parted from
her on the morrow, he prayed her might not be the last, as it was
the first, fruit of their love, at the same time enjoining her to send
the guilty lady away that she might not bring reproach upon him,
nor he be compelled to deal rigorously with her again.
[
029
]
Released the
same morning, and told that Ninette had been cast into the sea,
Foulques and Hugues, fully believing that so it was, came home,
thinking how they should console their ladies for the death of their
sister; but, though Madeleine was at great pains to conceal Ninette,
Foulques nevertheless, to his no small amazement, discovered that
she was there; which at once excited his suspicion, for he knew that
the Duke had been enamoured of Madeleine; and he asked how it
was that Ninette was there. [
030
]
Madeleine made up a long story by
way of explanation, to which his sagacity gave little credit, and in
the end after long parley he constrained her to tell the truth. Whereupon,
overcome with grief, and transported with rage, he drew his
sword, and, deaf to her appeals for mercy, slew her.
[
031
]
Then, fearing
the vengeful justice of the Duke, he left the dead body in the room,
and hied him to Ninette, and with a counterfeit gladsome mien said
to her:
“
Go we without delay whither thy sister has appointed
that I escort thee, that thou fall not again into the hands of the
Duke.
”
Ninette believed him, and being fain to go for very fear,
she forewent further leave-taking of her sister, more particularly as
it was now night, and set out with Foulques, who took with him
such little money as he could lay his hands upon; and so they made
their way to the coast, where they got aboard a bark, but none ever
knew where their voyage ended.

[Voice:
lauretta
]

[
032
]
Madeleine's dead body being discovered next day, certain evildisposed
folk, that bore a grudge to Hugues, forthwith apprised the
Duke of the fact; which brought the Duke--for much he loved
Madeleine--in hot haste to the house, where he arrested Hugues and
his lady, who as yet knew nothing of the departure of Foulques and
Ninette, and extorted from them a confession that they and Foulques
were jointly answerable for Madeleine's death.
[
033
]
For which cause being
justly apprehensive of death, they with great address corrupted the
guards that had charge of them, giving them a sum of money which
they kept concealed in their house against occasions of need; and
together with the guards fled with all speed, leaving all that they
possessed behind them, and took ship by night for Rhodes, where,
being arrived, they lived in great poverty and misery no long time.
[
034
]
Such then was the issue, to which Restagnon, by his foolish love, and
Ninette by her wrath brought themselves and others.